1935 Delahaye 135 S
French racing prowess reached extraordinary heights when Delahaye unveiled their purpose-built competition machine at the 1935 Paris Salon.
The Type 135 Special featured lightweight, two-seat coachwork with cycle-style fenders (removable for certain events), allowing it to compete in both sports car and endurance racing. Its aggressive yet graceful styling combined functional aerodynamics with distinctly French elegance.
Under the hood sat a specially tuned 3,557cc inline-six engine producing around 152 horsepower through triple horizontal Solex carburetors. The competition-spec powerplant featured additional cooling passages, a lighter crankshaft capable of higher RPMs, a high-compression cylinder head, and six individual exhaust ports with separate header pipes.
A four-speed manual gearbox transferred power through a chassis with independent front suspension using a transverse leaf spring.
Racing success came quickly, with Type 135 Specials finishing 2nd through 5th at the 1936 French Grand Prix at Montlhéry, challenging the dominant Bugattis. Only 16 factory-built 135 S competition models were constructed, and today just seven authentic examples are known to survive. These cars remain among the most significant French racing machines of the 1930s.
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